8.04.2009

Wonderful, Wonderfully Busy Week

This is going to be one hell of a week. It already is, really.

Saturday we went to a dinner party at an old friend's house. It was one of those meetups where you think to yourself, "And why is it we haven't made more time to spend with these amazing people?" There was much talking of scifi and fantasy literature by the evening's end, which makes me want to have a small geeking out dinner party of our own in the near (but not too-near) future. Not too near because:

Sunday we hosted Godfather M's 40th birthday party. So much fun and so many great people! I'm sure he'll write about it, too, and when he does I'll include a link. Until we see what Miguelito has to say about his own party, enjoy a visual:

It must be stated that Hedonia's Thin Mint Juleps, which he was kind enough to mix personally, and which included liberal sloshings from the bourbon bottle pictured above, were better than I'd imagined: smooth, delicious, and dangerous.

Seymour really went all-out, meat-wise; he cut down bay laurel branches from Ep's and Clyde's (formerly our) yard, marinated beef chunks in garlic and lots of salt, and then skewered the beef on the branches and suspended it all right over coals. It was great fun watching Miguelito & Seymour pushing all that meat onto those sticks while everyone else tried to outdo each other's naughty puns.

Yesterday my cousin G came into town on a week-long visit from Kyushu. We have been plying him with lots of Mexican food, introducing him to nice people, and taking him hiking and swimming. He teaches kindergarten in Japan, and is a natural not only with Mali but with Leo too. Good company to have around during these kid-full days of school being out forever. G was even a good sport about going with us to register Mali for her own kindergarten, which starts on Monday (!).

Today we got a letter from Iz at her High Sierra sleepaway camp. She had a gnarly respiratory infection before she left and while she mostly recovered, went to adventure at 8,000 feet above sea level armed with an albuterol inhaler. She must be completely well, as her letter says she survived the across-the-lake swim test, completed a polar bear swim, and went on an all-day alpine hike.

We also got her STAR test scores in the mail today. Even though she doesn't think she's as good at math and science as she is at language, she got perfect scores in both of her "weak" categories. Matches nicely with the 12.9+ grade reading score she got earlier in the year (which basically means she tested beyond their ability to test her). Those scores will be excellent fodder for criticizing her self-help skills, as in "If you're so smart how come you can't keep your room clean?" I can't *wait* to try that one. (Yes I am kidding! I am not about to intentionally undermine the self-esteem of a girl who is entering middle school!)

Tomorrow is a special day, Mine & Seymour's 14th wedding anniversary. We have plans, yes we do. Fancy dinner plans. I tried to make the day extra-festive by dyeing my hair a favorite shade of red, but our local stylist could not quite perform. That'll teach me to not make time to see Stylist A in San Francisco. But perfect hair is not a requirement for a cherished evening alone with my favorite person.

Thursday is Vicki Forman's reading at Book Passage! You must go. I will definitely go. I know that a lot of other incredibly cool people are going. I'm even bringing my mom, who arrives that day at noon and who, if all goes well, will immediately be whisked off to lunch with my cousin G at the better-than-we-deserve new Italian restaurant downtown.

Through all this, regular life does and will continue. Leo is disenchanted with his baby sister, and makes her life difficult if they spend too much time together in the house, so we're hiking almost every day, because hiking makes him feel happy and accomplished. He has been exceptionally accommodating about the lunches we've dragged him to this week (due to his own good nature, and also lots of take-along activities and foods he likes, e.g., apples). His front tooth, which has been loose for months, is hanging on by a thread and should come out any time. I hope it comes out before he goes to week-long sleepaway camp on Sunday. Need to pack for that, by the way. Oh, and for Seymour's and my own sleepaway in the Sierras during that time (we are staying just long enough to enjoy the first of our kids to have a typical first day of kindergarten, then we're on the road, with thanks to my mom for sitting on the girls).

There are forms to be filled out lest Leo's Medicaid lapses, bits of my car's exterior falling off and needing to be replaced, Seymour in a really intense production cycle that includes some cool new independent work, Iz coming home from camp tomorrow, her soccer practices beginning Thursday, Mali's school supplies to acquire, arrangements to be made for Seymour's 40th birthday party (a week from Saturday; Godmother Stacy already booked live bluegrass band), a neat new BlogHer assignment (details later), an monthly posting request by the moderator of a blog I adore & respect, and books going unread and sleep being unslept. I am off to do something about the latter, so that I'll have enough energy to enjoy this wonderful, wonderfully busy week.